Calcium carbonicum (Oyster Shell)

Author: Anja Heij

This remedy is made of the shell of the oyster. Let's have a look at an oyster:
Inside a thick hard calcium-made shell lies a soft and quite formless animal. When the oyster feels at ease it opens its shell and passively lets through the sea water and possible food. In case of danger the shell closes ofcourse. When unfortunately a hard grain of sand enters the shell the oyster protects its soft body by putting layers of hard material over it and in time a precious pearl grows inside a common looking oyster shell.

Let's now explore the psyche of the homoeopathic Calcium carbonicum:
It are open personalities who passively let in a lot of impressions, emotions, thoughts, feelings, fears, energies, etc. without giving it a form, a structure. All this input easily leads to stress and exhaustion. These people are not as strong as they look (compare the weak animal inside the tough shell) due to two reasons:

they absorb all information without shifting and

there are often problems with the calcium metabolism.

In childhood it is difficult for their bodies to absorb calcium. As we all know calcium is necessary for the bones, so Calcium carbonicum children will be late with walking and growing teeth. They can show a strong desire for milk as well as an allergy for cow-milk, or they can refuse breast-feeding. (A cow-milk allergy can be treated with this remedy).

Calcium carbonicum is one of the great remedies for babies and children. It suits children with a large head who are quiet and sweet, very buzy with just sitting and observing things around them, eating mud-sand-raw potatoes and other indigestible things. Although usually sweet, Calcium carbonicum children can be very headstrong. Their openness leads to a lot of fears; it are the children and grown-ups) who are afraid of harmless insects like ants and small beatles, thieves, burglars, ghosts, darkness, their own shadow, death, going to sleep, heights, horrible stories, mice, dogs, doctors and dentists. Grown-up Calciums are very afraid of hospitals, doctors and anything medical, and at the same time they absorb medical encyclopedias because of anxiety about their health.

Calcium carbonicum children have problems with their immunity: they have many throat, ear- and nose-complaints. They often have a cold, swollen tonsils, swollen glands in the neck and ear inflammations.
At school they also keep quiet, afraid to draw the attention, to say something wrong and be laughed at.

Grown-up Calcium carbonicums are also very vulnerable; when things become tough and difficult they withdraw, closing themselves like the oyster shell. And they prefer to restrict themselves to wellknown surroundings and habits.
Calciums are very responsible and reliable persons with a lot of willpower. Despite their condition they work pretty hard; they don't want to let you down and they don't want others to understand their condition. They may for instance be confused or afraid to become insane, but still they try to make a good impression. Starting a task is difficult, they will postpone it, but once they start they will go on and end it.
They are slow, will never be in time for an appointment, but their work will be solid.
These people are a bit passive; what they need is someone who brings along structure and leadership. In that case they can flower, fully developing their talents, making room for the beautiful pearl inside! Catherine R. Coulter wrote that Mozart was a Calcium carbonicum character, who constantly received teaching and encouragement from his father, an Arsenicum character.

The typical physical appearance is flabby and rubinesc with relatively much fat tissue and little muscle tissue. Don't be mistaken: they can also be thin!
Calciums can have strong sexual desires, but after coition they can be exhausted, irritated and depressed for several days.
They sweat after only little exertion. Children sweat on their heads in bed. It are quite chilly persons, easily becoming ill in cold and moisty weather. They have sweaty hands and cold, sweaty feet. They often go to bed with their socks on, but later on take them off when their feet get hot.

While young Calciums had too little calcium, older Calciums can show a surplus of bodily calcium; complaints can be kidney stones, atherosclerosis, distortions of the joints or hands. Rheumatism is one of the big complaints.
Other symptoms are still due to a lack of calcium, like easily breaking nails, bad teeth, epilepsia and nightly cramps in the calfs (calcium is also needed for the transfer of nervous signals to the muscles).
They can develop maligne and benigne tumors and warts. A reknown complaint is serious constipation.
Women often have painful breasts before the menstruation. The menstruation is often early with profuse bleeding.

Calcium carbonicums love eggs, especially the soft boiled ones.
They like both salt and sweet food (like ice-cream and chocolate). They show a preference or an aversion for milk and meat.
They feel worse in cold and moisty weather, and during full moon and new moon. It is not surprising that they have more complaints in wintertime.